A not so revolutionary blog about feminism, socialism, activism, travel, nature, life, etc.

Another Birthday Month

H. Bradford

2/28/18

Well, February is ending. This means that my favorite month is almost over! I feel a little sad, as usually I meet February with such enthusiasm. I often have a long “to do” list of birthday activities. This month, I have found myself feeling sluggish, with less zeal for living. There were some days that I felt downright depressed. However, I still did my best to make the most of the month and celebrate my birthday in smaller ways. This is fine. Sometimes a celebration can look more like hibernation and the best gift is solitude and sleep. With that said, it was a pretty low key birthday month. Here are some of the highlights….

Sax Zim Birding Days:

On February 3rd, I braved the slippery roads and headed to the Sax Zim Bog to do some birding. I was even able to convince Adam to come along with me. Although the day was probably a bit long for him, I had a fun time. We drove around and visited several bird feeders. I even saw two new species of birds: snow buntings and Bohemian Waxwings. I almost missed the Bohemian Waxwings, but happened to turn my binoculars to a tree. I assume at first that they were Cedar Waxwings. The two birds look pretty similar. However, I grabbed my bird guide and was pleasantly surprised to see that the birds had a rusty coloration under their tails. This meant that they were Bohemian Waxwings. There are only three species of waxwings in the world (the other is the Japanese Waxwing). There is always something magical about identifying a new species of bird for the first time. There are many birds that I will confuse or forget, but I think I will always remember the plump and rusty Bohemian Waxwing. As for snowbuntings, I have seen these birds before- but not since I began birding a few years ago. So, they were a target species this year. I have driven around looking for them throughout the winter, but finally spotted a huge flock of them. They were too quick and white to photograph (as they blended into the field pretty well).

The birds were pretty far away so the photo quality is not awesome.

On February 5th, I returned to the bog alone and added two more birds that day. I was fortunate enough to find that a flock of Sharp-tailed grouse were active in the early morning. Later in the day, I moved on to Virginia, where I found a lone Canvasback duck. Both were new to the list. I also believe that I saw a Boreal owl as I was driving through Cotton, but I did not have time to stop as I was on a main highway. Thus, I was unable to add that bird to my list.

Since those dates, I have done some birding elsewhere, but have been unable to find any new species of birds. I have been trying to spot a long tailed duck and a spruce grouse- haunting HWY 2 and Agate Bay in Two Harbors. My field trips have yielded nothing, but with some days off in the near future- perhaps I will find them. Of course, birding isn’t about adding new birds to a list. This is “listing.” There is joy in seeing familiar birds and becoming better at identifying what is already known. But, as a person who likes lists and obtains a sense of accomplishment from setting goals- adding to the list motivates me to go out more often. This weekend, I will make my final winter visit to the bog when I go snowshoeing there with my mother. This is how we celebrated my birthday last year (even though this runs into March…escaping the neat borders of my birthday month).

Bird Feeders:

One of the outcomes of visiting the Sax Zim Bog on February 3rd with Adam was that we were both impressed with how people living in the bog area set up public bird feeders. These individuals welcome people to view birds on their property. Feeders such as Mary Lou’s and Loretta’s attract both birds, but also large groups of strangers. It is inspiring to see people open up their yards to strangers. They also invest a lot of their time and money into maintaining these feeders which benefit both birds and people. I wish that more communities broke down the barriers between private and common spaces. This is something that the Solidarity House tries to do by offering a free garden, free books, as well as a variety of free goods on our porch. After we returned from the bog, we decided to set up more bird feeders in our front yard. I purchased two feeders and Adam purchased one. I also bought some more suet.

Our efforts have regularly attracted birds to the yard. Although we do not have a huge diversity of species in our small yard, we regularly have several cardinals visit the feeders. I have also seen black capped chickadees, a white throated sparrow, white breasted nuthatches, a downy woodpecker, and dark eyed juncos in the yard. I enjoy looking out the window and watching these birds. While this isn’t an elaborate way to spend my birthday month, I will say that I have enjoyed my quiet moments at the window. Holly, my roommate Elizabeth’s cat, also enjoys these moments.

Owl Tattoo:

Another bird related highlight of the month was getting a new tattoo. I reached my 300th bird in February, so I decided to get a new tattoo. I determined that the new tattoo would be a snowy owl, as this was the first bird that I saw in 2018 and the last one I saw in 2017. It has been an irruption year for snowy owls, so there have been more than usual in my area. I had not seen one before this year, so seeing them several times this winter has been special. I felt that the snowy owl was a good choice since it represents this year (due to more being around) and winter in general. I also thought that the white contrasted well with the black of my raven tattoo. Although the birds have different shapes, I wanted two birds that at least had a sort of imperfect symmetry with one another.

Painting:

Another activity that I have engaged in this month is painting. I have no training in painting or in art in general, but I have always liked creating art from time to time. This month, I wanted to create a piece of art for an upcoming feminist art show called WTF! So, I created a painting about how capitalism depends upon the bodies of women to function. It is a little graphic, but it is meant to convey the idea that the reproductive power of women is used to create the next generation of workers. Of course, the unpaid care work done by women also ensures the continuation of the working class. The art show will begin on March 8th and it is my first time participating in a public art show! The same day that I painted that piece, I also painted the windows of the Solidarity House to look like a forest. I had promised Adam that I would do this a long time ago, but forgot all about it until recently. We had several ovenbirds crash against the window and die last fall. By painting the windows with a scene, we thought we might break up the empty space and prevent bird fatalities next year. Additionally, I am trying to create a second painting for another feminist art show at UW-Superior. The piece will also have a labor and feminism theme. Finally, Jenny wants me to create a painting for an auction that Critter Harbor is hosting. Critter Harbor is an organization that traps and neuters feral cats. These cats are returned to the outdoors, but are provided with food and water. Some may be rehabilitated and adopted. I think this is all exciting, since it pushes me out of my comfort zone. I know I am not a great artist. I know I have a lot of room to improve. However, I think that I should not be limited by self-doubt or imperfection. If I want to paint, I should paint- skill or no skill.

Trivia:

Every other Thursday for the past year, I have done trivia at Pizza Luce with a group of friends. We usually do okay, but not often well enough to place. On February 15th, we gathered for trivia again. I wasn’t going to attend since I was dead tired from working for nine days in a row and nearly 95 hours. It had been a hard day, I was extremely sleep deprived (I had slept about 3 hrs between a 10 hr shift and a shorter 4.5 hr shift and about 3 hrs before the 10 hr shift the day prior). Somehow I pulled myself together enough to show up for trivia with my friends. Well, we actually won first place at trivia- out of 24 teams. I am glad to be friends with a bunch of smarty pants!

Sleeping:

I am going to be honest and say that I have had a very strong drive to sleep this month- though this drive has not always resulted in actual sleep. The drive to sleep has increased since the middle of the month. On my actual birthday, I skipped an activist meeting so that I could get a little extra sleep before my 10 hour shift. I don’t think I actually got any extra sleep, but it was nice to just stay in bed. This week, there have been days were I have done little more than sleep, eat, and work. Like usual, I am working an 8 day stretch of 10 hour shifts, followed by a bonus 9th day with a shorter shift. I have typically had a high tolerance for work and moderate lack of sleep, but lately- not so much. I slept 14 hours on one of my days off last week. I have been taking power naps during my 30 min work break. But, winter has been long. February has been cold and we had three snowstorms in the past week alone. Since I do have some very busy days, I think I am okay with allowing myself to indulge in sleep.

Activism:

Like every month, there is always a schedule of activist events. This month, I have stepped back a little. Nevertheless, some activist highlights of the month include a union steward training and getting elected to the E-board of my union local. Another highlight was a small, but meaningful discussion on feminism and non-binary gender. On February 10th, I participated in a Valentine’s Themed Letters to Prisoners event. It was a fun event where several local activists sent Valentine Cards to prisoners. Socialist Action organized a modest rally for Immigrant Rights. This was followed by our monthly Socialism and Slice discussion group. The discussion group has grown so large that we will have to seek out another venue. I am also excited to help out with HOTDISH Militia’s Bowl-a-thon. Yeah, I will say that this month I was much less engaged in political activism. Usually, I have far more meetings and events to attend. But, one my New Year’s Resolutions was to step back a little.

Overeating:

I ate too much this month. The downside of my birthday month is that I justify going out to eat with the line….Well, it’s my birthday month! I ate a lot of Mexican food. I treated myself to sushi and green tea tempura ice cream. I had Indian food. I really don’t want to think about how much I treated myself in the form of food. It is little wonder that I have ended the month a little chubbier. Now, as a feminist I should be fat positive. I should allow myself to take up space, fully enjoy life, and not sweat my size. That isn’t the case. While I don’t obsess about it and have come to terms with the fact that I won’t be a thin as I was in my 20s, I am not a huge fan of the scale going in an upward direction. On the other hand, I sure did enjoy all that Mexican food. I guess March can be a month of moderation…

Zumba and a Sauna:

I wasn’t as physically active as I would have liked to have been this past month. But, I at least took time to attend a zumba class and take a sauna. Zumba is really a fun way to engage in fitness. As for taking a sauna, I think it feels so primal and rejuvenating.

Hiking:

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to make sure that I hike, bike, run, kayak, etc. 365 miles this year. I don’t think it will be that hard of a task, but it is not something I have ever actively tracked before. Right now, I am behind on my miles. But, February was both cold and snowy. I ended up with fewer miles in February than in frigid January. As of today, I have hiked about 47 miles in February and January combined. Usually, these are pretty mild three mile jaunts. Because I was falling behind this month, I was going to try to do five miles- in a snow storm last week. This did not pan out. It was cold. Snow whipped my face. The wind was wicked. I made it about two miles total. This snow storm was followed by two other snowstorms later in the week. While I should have 59 miles by the end of the month to keep on track, I will likely end the month 10 miles behind.

Birthday Party:

I had a low key birthday party on February 17th. Years ago, in my late 20s, I would host giant, extravagant birthday parties with pinatas and trivia. For the most part, I have smaller, less involved parties in recent years- if anything at all. I already do a lot of planning and preparation for Marxmas, so I have lost the energy to host two large parties so close to one another. But, honestly it was nice to hang out with a few people without a whole lot to do. Jenny hosted an Arbonne Party for her birthday in January. I actually did the same this year- since I wanted the free protein powder (which costs $60 a bag in their catalog). Yep, so I had a product presentation themed party. This was an unusual choice, but it wasn’t bad. We had some snacks, soaked are feet, and listened to a presentation about products that I don’t NEED but somehow felt compelled to buy because well…it’s my birthday. I think that “it’s my birthday” can be a bit of a dangerous mantra- since it has encouraged me to be excessive all month….

Airfare:

I worked on my actual birthday, but one thing that I did on my birthday for myself (aside from sleeping) was book my flight to Romania. I will be visiting Romania in late August, spending some time in Romania, Moldova, Macedonia (with a day trip to Kosovo), and then ending in Iceland before heading home. I am trying to hit a few European countries that I have not yet visited- but I think that all of them will be interesting. I will be gone for about three weeks. I am excited for an adventure in the lands of Ceausescu, Vlad the Impaler, break away semi-autonomous states, the social construction of Alexander the Great, and geothermal wonders.

Black Panther:

Another highlight of the month was seeing Black Panther with Dan. I love Marvel movies, even if they are predictable and cautious. Black Panther was unique in that it was set in Africa with few white characters. It had great costumes, engaging characters, and a story line that wrestled with racism and colonization. Now, I would like to write a longer review. I will say that I wasn’t satisfied with the political conclusion that the best bet is to work within system to uplift the oppressed through charitable institutions. I felt that the character Killmonger had some great lines and was far more politically relateable than a princely and privileged isolationist (or was until the conclusion of the film). Killmonger wanted to arm the oppressed- even though his vision of revolution also involved an expansion of Wakanda as an empire. That is the annoying thing about Magneto/Killmonger type characters is that revolutionary philosophies of liberation are often coupled with authoritarianism/supremacy in comic book movies. There are many visions of how to overthrow systems of oppression and radically alter society- yet so few are represented. It creates a villainous strawman out of radical politics. Oh, and another very annoying aspect of the movie was the fact that the CIA character was a good guy! Come on! The Wakandan characters are very aware of colonization and slavery, but somehow the United States- and the the CIA no less, ends up playing a heroic role. Never mind the assassination of Patrice Lamumba, support of the coup against Kwame Nkrumah, support of Mbutu Sese Seko, assisting in the arrest of Nelson Mandela, fighting MPLA in Angola, supporting the overthrow of Gadaffi in Libya, etc. But this was a Marvel movie and these tend to fetishize secretive organizations (i.e S.H.I.E.L.D) and align the good guys with America. Still, I did enjoy the movie and I don’t want to take away the joy that Africans and African Americans have experienced by seeing positive representations of Africa and Black people. Also, I did enjoy the movie and feel it is one of the better films in the Marvel universe.

Conclusion:

Well, there you go, that was my birthday month. There were some positive things, such as fun times with loved ones, birding, painting, visions of travel, time spent outdoors, trivia, and activism. There were some not as positive aspects of the month, such as over-eating and sleeping too much/too little. Looking back, I think I made the most of my month without exhausting myself trying to zealously seize each day. Yes, there is a limited amount of time in a lifespan. Birthdays are a good reminder of that. But, I guess if from time to time, I want to just spend a whole day in bed or eat Mexican food three days in a row- that’s okay too. It would be cool if I ran 4 miles on my birthday or did one celebratory thing each day of the month- but that would be exhausting. Despite some lows, I think the month had a good balance of fun, friends, work, and hiding from the world.

I have failed to write a poem for EVERY book I have read this year, but the most recent book that I read was The Democrats: A Critical History by Lance Selfa. This book was well written and clearly identifies the long history of contradictions, empty promises, and duplicity of the Democratic Party. The book is wonderfully enraging. Here is a poem to express my revolutionary anger.

100 Resolutions for the New Year

H. Bradford

1/30/18

I like making New Year’s Resolutions. In the past few years, I have had about 50 resolutions. I accomplish about half of them. And, to be honest, my New Year’s Resolutions tend to be more like a a giant “to do” list. So, many of the things on the list are things I hope to do over the year. Another portion of items on the list of resolutions are things to track. For instance, last year, I tracked the books that I read, birds that I saw, and political events that I attended. This year, I am going to be even more ambitious and have made a list of 100 New Year’s Resolutions. (I am a little short of 100 in case I think of anything important to add to the list). Some of this requires data tracking. Some is more like a check list. There is no science behind this. I don’t expect that it will make me a better person. Perhaps, it just creates a weird frenzy in my life to check things off or write down data. But, I think it does shape the year and gives me things to think about or plan. Here is my 100 Resolutions for 2018!

Travel to Romania and Moldova: This will be my big trip of the year- in late August. I will visit a few other countries as well on this trip.

Take an additional trip: I am not sure where else I will travel, but I would like to take a mini trip somewhere….

Read 30 Books

Read a Classic Non-fiction (among the 30)

Read a Classic Fiction (among the 30)

Read a socialist feminist book (among the 30)

Continue Ballet Lessons

Attend Yoga Classes

Play Soccer in the Fall or Summer

Take up Fencing Again

Run a 5K

Try Fat Tire Biking

Go to Two New State Parks

Try Paddleboarding

Go Camping Four Times

Go Snowshoeing

Go Skiing

Practice Violin

Study Russian

Study Spanish (so it is easier to travel to Central and South America)

Study Romanian (for my trip)

Find 50 Geocaches

Add 50 New Birds to My Life List

Substitute Teach

Visit the Planetarium

See a Meteor Shower (this did not make my list last year, but was on it the year before)

See the Northern Lights

Create a Painting

Celebrate International Bog Day

Celebrate International Squirrel Day (I already failed at this goal!)

Write a poem about each book I read this year.

Get a Snowy Owl Tattoo

Get an additional tattoo

Take saunas for self care

Plant a tree

Attend Zumba

Do Polynesian dance with my DVD or in a class

Watch a Classic Film

Plant a Free Garden

Attend 50 Political Events

Keep a Food Log

Try a Vegan Challenge (1 week? 1 month? Every Monday?)

Really Clean my Room

Donate 2 bags of clothes

Get rid of one tote bin of belongings

Try to survive one month on the USDA food budget challenge

Try to spent Less than 10% of my income on food (yeah, yeah, I eat out too much…)

Hang out with someone old (someone I haven’t spent time with for a while)

Send Valentine’s Day Cards

Focus on a Fern of the Year: Lady Fern

Focus on a Tree of the Year: birches in general?

Learn to Make Jam

Learn to watercolor

Grow in Domestic Violence advocacy

Grow as a patient educator

Try something new each week

Make a travel album

Start buying for x-mas in July

Do something towards teaching re-licensure

Try a new fitness class

Try a new food

Put more money away for retirement

Buy a kantele (this has been on my list for a long time, but I don’t really need any new hobbies…)

Read the news each day (already failed, so perhaps just try to do it more often!)

Try a new restaurant

Create a podcast

Go Shooting

Take a self defense course

Write an article for S.A.

Write something monthly for the Northern Worker

Take vitamins

Study Finnish (I have to many languages on my list, but we can dream…)

Learn to identify 50 birds by their song

TBD

TBD

TBD

There you go! I am sure I will fail at some of these resolutions. Perhaps others will create new patterns in my life. A few will just continue the trends that I have already started! Overall, I am always hoping to be a healthier, more knowledgeable, broader, more creative, and more traveled person each year! I hope that 2018 is a great year.

Once again, I am trying to write poems about each book that I read. Since I mostly read non-fiction, it can be a bit of a challenge! One of the books that I read in January was Lenin on the Train, by Catherine Merridale. This poem was what I came up with after reading the book. It is about gender as a revolutionary train ride.

The Lenin in Me

By H. Bradford

1/30/18

There is a Lenin inside me,

A man with a sharp mind.

The female body is his train.

Taking him places, carrying that brain to those who will listen

to a program that cuts through

time and space and night,

also like Lenin on the train.

I am on my way to revolution.

I am on my way to change.

The she, the he, and the they will meet at Finland Station.

We are writing what we will say.

In eight short days the world will change.

But, I am content to bide my time.

It is enough to enjoy this ride.

Drawing by Pyotr Vasilievich Vasiliev, Lenin on the Train to Petrograd

One of my goals this year is to write a poem about each book that I read. Earlier this month, I read Red Horizons, a book about the dictatorship/foreign policy of Romania’s Nicolae Ceausescu. A character that captured my imagination in the book was the villainous portrayal of Nicolae’s son, Nicu. His story raises questions about justice, especially in light of all of the sexual harassment and assault that has garnered media attention this year. What is justice? How do we make the horrors of history right?

Nicu Ceaucescu

H. Bradford

1/28/18

Nicu crashed the car he was given for raping a 15 year old.

He pissed on the only oysters in the country, when the people ate nettles and scraps.

2017: Year in Review

H. Bradford

1/26/18

It is hard to believe that another year has ended. When I stop to think about it, this felt like a marathon of a year. I feel tired. I would say that it was generally a good year. At the same time, I have the creeping sense that something in 2018 will go amiss. I suppose it is simply the regression to the means. I have had several good years, but nothing exceptionally good (or exceptionally bad) lasts forever. So, while I have an ominous feeling about the future, I will take a moment to reflect upon the past! And, I can only hope that 2018 continues the stretch of happy years.

154 Political Events:

I think that this year will mostly be remembered for the flurry of political events that I attended this year. In the end, I attended 154 political events this year, including meetings, marches, protests, vigils, etc. I basically did something related to activism every 2.37 days this year. In 2016, I attended just under 90 political events. Suffice to say, the presidency of Donald Trump has been the catalyst of a great deal of organizing, such as the Women’s March, March for Science, and Climate March, Immigrant Solidarity Marches, etc. But, there have been plenty of local issues that have warranted attention as well, such the program cuts at UWS, Homeless Bill of Rights, Graham Garfield domestic violence case. The largest expansion of social movement organizing was in the area of feminism this year. Unfortunately, there is next to nothing in terms of anti-war activism. I suppose war is just normal at this point, seeing as we have been in Afghanistan for 16 years. I appeared on the news several times for organizing/participating in various events. I was even interviewed by a British socialist newspaper. I spoke out at a county board meeting and also did a radio interview about domestic violence. So, I think that it was a big year of activism and I was in the spotlight far more than what is normal for me and this challenged me to be less quiet and introverted. Looking back, I can be proud of this and I am sure in the years to come I will remember this as a time of dutiful activism. For now, I am a little worn out and disappointed. There are massive, startling, systemic problems. Activists are rising up to challenge some of these- but so much more is needed. Most importantly, we need a political program capable of energizing and emboldening social movements beyond the status quo of our dual capitalist political parties.

A sign I made for the Climate March- one of the 154 events that I attended last year….

Central Asia Trip:

A major highlight of the year was that I spent most of June in Central Asia. It was an extremely fascinating part of the world. I saw astonishing things, like the Gas Crater in Turkmenistan, Ashgabat-Turkmenistan’s white marble capital, the remnants of the Aral Sea, Kiva, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent. Honestly, this was one of my favorite trips in my lifetime, simply because of all of the surreal and strange things that I saw. The world is always different and new, with many things to see and learn, but this part of the world is not heavily visited by tourists. It felt unique and much more remote than other places I have been. The trip also challenged me since it involved some bush camping and dry, hot conditions.

Camping in the basin of the Aral Sea

Continue Birding:

I saw over 200 species of birds this past year. I was very engaged in birding throughout the year. Highlights of my birding include attending an International Migratory Bird Day bird count at Wild River State Park, attending Hawk Weekend at Hawk’s Ridge, birding at the Sax Zim Bog for the first time, various return trips to both Hawk’s Ridge and Sax Zim Bog, birding at Rice Lake Wildlife Refuge, and casually birding in the Caribbean and Central Asia. I am impressed with the number and variety of birds that I have seen this year and that my birding skills are slowly growing. There are a number of species that stand out, but I was most impressed with seeing a Northern Hawk Owl and Great Gray Owl at the Sax Zim Bog as well as a pair of Spectacled Owls in Costa Rica. Interestingly, my very first bird of the year for 2018 was a Snowy Owl and the last for 2017 was also a Snowy Owl. I guess it is a good year for owls! Otherwise, Rosy Starlings, Red-billed streamertail hummingbirds, Yellow-crowned night heron, and Pied-Billed Grebes (since they are cute) are some of my other highlights for the year.

New Job:

In December, I applied for and began a new part time job. I already work full time at domestic violence shelter, but on a whim I decided to apply for an additional part time job as a Patient Educator in the field of reproductive health. I will say that it is pretty exhausting working two jobs. But, back in my late 20s I worked four jobs, so…I know I can handle this. Really, I am pretty excited about this new position. I often feel that I am stagnating or that I don’t do enough- so this is a great opportunity gain new knowledge and skills. It is also a new way for me to learn more about reproductive health and an expansion of my feminist activism. I enjoy learning new things and this really is a wonderful opportunity. The job itself is unique. I do not have any experience working in the health field, but I have enjoyed challenging myself to pick up new information. Plus, I get to wear scrubs. I have some awesome sloth scrubs…as well as Ninja turtle and dinosaur scrubs. You know, because wearing fun scrubs is also important….

Raven Tattoo:

This is a pretty minor detail, but I got a new tattoo this year. I decided that when I hit my 200th bird, I would get a new bird tattoo. I chose a raven. I really love the tattoo. Now, I am just one bird away from my 300 th bird. What will I choose for my next tattoo? Perhaps a snowy owl?

Blue Hair:

For many years I have kept my hair black. This year, I decided to mix it up and dye my hair blue. Thus, I have had blue and black hair all year. This is another minor detail, but I have enjoyed the new color. It has inspired me to wear more blue (rather than my typical red and black). The only downside is that dying my hair black was far easier and took far less upkeep. Nevertheless, I am getting the hang of it.

Try Two New Activities:

Every year, I try to attempt at least two new activities. This year, I tried geocaching and snorkeling for the first time. As far as geocaching goes, I think it is a fun distraction and something easy to do when I am hiking. I began geocaching in March and by December I had already found 100 caches. As for snorkeling, I am not a water person. I don’t like swimming. I don’t like being wet. I am not a strong swimmer. I get sea sick. Water and me are not friends. But, I don’t want to live my life entirely in fear (even if I am not always ready to dive right into water sports). So, I went snorkeling for the first time. It was sort of neat. I was surprised by how many fish I could see from the surface of the water. I was also astonished by how salty salt water actually tastes (when I accidentally dipped my head a little too low for a closer look at a fish). I would go again. I am not in love with the water, but it interested me enough to give it another go. I saw some sort of parrot fish, which was a pretty sight. My goal is to try snorkeling again when I (hopefully) visit Iceland in 2018 (as tourists can snorkel between the North American and Eurasian plates meet). As for diving…hmm…well, baby steps.

Four New State Parks:

In recent years, I have tried to visit a new Minnesota state park each year. This year, I visited four new state parks. I visited St. Croix State Park, Wild River State Park, Savannah Portage State Park, and Mille Lacs State Park. At least two of them I visited when I was a teenager, but since that was so long ago, I will count them as “new.” They are new to my adult life anyway. I also visited Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin as well, bringing the actual total to five. With the exception of Copper Falls, I visited all of these state parks by myself. These solo adventures were a peaceful escape from work and activism. I enjoyed Savannah Portage State Park the most, since I liked hiking around the lake, hiking the continental divide trail, and walking along the bog walk.

Solo Camping Trips:

I went on several solo camping trips to the previously mentioned State Parks. The first adventure brought me to Wild River State Park, where I hiked and birded for International Migratory Bird Day. I later went on a trip to Mille Lacs State Park. It rained during this camping trip, which I undertook shortly after my trip to Central Asia. Oh, it was also plagued with flies. I also went camping at Tettegouche State Park- where I went on a wildflower guided hike and hiked the second tallest peak in Minnesota (not that impressive, I know.) Finally, I went camping at Savannah Portage State Park, where it also rained, but I still had a lovely time hiking and enjoying the autumn leaves. My solo camping trips gave me a small dose of adventure and independence, offering escape and peace of mind.

Bog Awareness Week:

I celebrated the heck out of Bog Awareness Week. I did more for Bog Awareness Week than for…Christmas. But, bogs are cool. I went to Savannah Portage State Park’s bog walk, I participated in Sax-Zim Bog’s Bioblitz, and I convinced my friends to head to Cable, WI with me to check out a bog there. I bogged myself down with bogs. A highlight of bog week was realizing that Pitcher Plants produce flowers. I had never noticed this before.

A pitcher plant at Savannah Portage State Park

Color Run and Pride 5K:

This year I tried the Color Run for the first time. I love it, since it is not timed. Although it is crowded with enthusiastic runners and walkers and the que to begin is pretty long, it was a fun time. Various parts of the run are marked by groups of people who douse the participants with colors. There are also foam bubbles, unicorn mascots, group dancing, and medals for everyone. I loved it. I also ran the Pride 5k. The race was rather hot. It was timed. But, I did it! Even if I did it terribly, I ran it and hopefully next year I will do better!

At the start of the Color Run!

Go to the Ballet and Continue Ballet Lessons:

Speaking of things that I am terrible at…I continued ballet lessons this fall. Continuing ballet lessons was one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2017. Another resolution was going to the ballet. Well, I went and saw Stravisnky’s Firebird. It was super. I enjoy Russian folktales and liked how Koschei the deathless was portrayed.

Write Poetry:

Last year, I began writing poetry. My goal was to write two poems, but I ended up writing at least two dozen poems. It is a neat experience, since I never really cared for poetry when I was younger. I often objected to it because it was too flowery and emotional. A lot of poetry takes itself too seriously. I try to look at it differently now. To me, poetry is just a short story. A story about a moment, an emotion, a passing idea. It expresses what narrative does with frugal words but ample meaning.

33 Books:

To many of my friends, 33 books is a light reading list for the year. However, 30% of Americans do not read a single book in a year. The average number of books read in a year is 12. This average is skewed by some super readers, as the median number of books read each year is 4. All of the books that I read this year were non-fiction, which is something that I hope to change in 2018. The BEST books from this list include The KKK in Minnesota by Elizabeth Dorsey Hatle, Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime that Changed America by Mamie Till, An Environmental History of Russia by various authors, and Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation by Silvia Federici. I read four books about witches, eight books about Central Asia in preparation for my trip there, four books about the Caribbean, including two about Puerto Rico, two few books about mycology, two books about birding, and several books on a variety of topics. I will say that I came out of 2017 with greater knowledge of birds, mushrooms, Central Asia, the Caribbean, and witches. I would love to read 50 books in a year, but with my work schedule, other hobbies, and activism schedule, it would be difficult.

Some graffiti on a bridge in Superior

Create Four Works of Art:

Another resolution for 2017 was to create at least four works of art. I did this by dabbling with watercolor (the results weren’t awesome, but it was a start!). I also painted four bird houses for the Solidarity House. Beyond that, I framed some photos that I have taken. I will say that I am not especially great at watercoloring or photography, but it is worthwhile to shamelessly create. Through practice, I would like to improve my skills in these areas.

This watercolor painting is still wet! It depicts a magpie, mulberry tree, and fountain in Ashgabat.

Study Russian:

One of my goals was to continue studying Russian, or at the very least brush up on it from time to time. Generally, I am not at all disciplined at studying languages. There were a few times throughout the year wherein I tried to teach myself some new words or review some old ones. Traveling through Central Asia helped me to brush off the cobwebs in my brain and try to remember how to speak some Russian. I was able to communicate a few times, so knowing some Russian was certainly pretty helpful. An elusive goal is to attend the Friday night Russian table at Sir Ben’s. Alas, I lack the confidence to go! I feel so foolish and incompetent when I try to string together what I remember. Still…I sort of worked on this goal, at least by using Russian on my trip.

Attend Yoga Classes:

Attending yoga classes was on my resolution list for the year. I squeezed in some yoga at the very end of the year.

Go Snowshoeing and Cross Country Skiing:

I did not go cross country skiing a single time in 2017. As for snowshoeing, I only went twice. But, the two times that I went snowshoeing were pretty awesome! Back in February, I went for a full moon snowshoe hike organized by UWS. I did not go again until Christmas Eve Day, when I went snowshoeing along a trail at the Sax Zim Bog. Each year, I try to make a point of doing both of these activities so that I can better embrace winter.

Snowshoeing over some icy, sand covered mounds at WI Point.

New Car:

A major event of the year was purchasing a car in March. My car is a Volvo V70 and I love it! It is the first time that I have purchased a car/financed a car loan all on my own. I like my car. I like having reliable transportation and my car took me on many adventures this year- such as the camping and birding trips. I will say that the car is not great in the winter and since it is very low-set the passenger door bumps against the curb. However, I am generally very happy with the car. It has a moon roof and heated seats- which seem pretty luxurious compared to other vehicles that I have owned.

Not my actual car- but similar model, year, and color.

50 Blog Posts:

I actually wrote 77 blog posts in 2017 and had between 350 and 1000 viewers each month. My goal was to write 50. The numbers don’t matter all that much. However, I do like sharing my writing and opening up myself to others in this way. I have had quite a bit of feedback that people enjoy reading my blog or at least find some of the posts interesting.

Texas/Caribbean Trip:

In November, I went on a cruise to the Panama canal, which also visited Jamaica, Aruba, Curacao, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Colombia. I really wanted a vacation that felt like a vacation- where I could de-stress from the 150 political events I had attended/everyday stress of working with survivors/victims of domestic violence. In other words, I wanted a super easy trip. To that end, I went on a two week cruise. It was really wonderful to relax and feel a true sense of easy escapism- even if cruises are consumerist monstrosities. I saw many birds, especially in Aruba, which was an added bonus for the trip. I have a lot of happy memories from the trip. Once the trip was over, I spent a half a week visiting my brother in Texas. We once again hiked at Government Canyon and visited the Botanical Gardens. These are two of my favorite places to visit in San Antonio. My brother will be moving to Minnesota in May, so this will probably be my last opportunity to visit him in Texas!

Two spectacled owls in a public park in Costa Rica

Union Organizing:

Another highlight of the year, which also relates to my political events, was being more active in my union. I have been a union steward since November 2016 and this year, went through contract negotiations in October. I will say honestly that contract negotiations was extremely stressful. I worked night shifts, then would have to spend the morning to early afternoon in negotiations. It was hard to fall asleep after negotiations, then return to work for another night shift. Negotiations themselves were tense. The whole thing felt very intense. I was not overly fond of being on the negotiations team, but it is an honor to have the privilege of fighting for the interests of my fellow workers. I feel that the negotiations went well and the contract was better because of our hard work.

Loved Ones:

I often do not highlight this, but my year would not have been as great without my loved ones. Yeah, I am not the gushy sort. I am fortunate to have had some good times with Adam and Lucas. We went to Copper Falls together as well as on an adventure to explore the bog near Cable, WI. Of course, they also attend many political events with me. Adam probably went to 200 political events last year- but unlike me, he does not keep a tally. Another great friend is Jenny, who is my collaborator in feminist and bisexual activism. She pushes me to show my emotional side-but being a rebel- I usually stubbornly resist this. Dan is patient and supportive- sometimes even partaking in my adventures with some coaxing. Lonnie always offers a fun time when I visit him in Texas. I enjoy our long hikes together and that he humors my interest in birds and plants. I have wonderful coworkers, some of whom I have attended fitness classes with, invited to trivia, and invited to political events. They tolerate my eccentricities and listen to my newest ideas. This year, I went to the State Fair with my mother. I was crabby the whole time- as I was deprived of sleep. But, she did not let my bad mood get in the way of a good time at the fair. There are many others, like Chris, Angie, Amber, Carl, Jared, my grandma, Tiffany, Alexa, and many more. I can be a real weirdo and anti-social turd. I am fortunate to have people to enrich my life.

Pandemonium Year in Review

H. Bradford

1/25/18

Pandemonium was founded in October, 2016 as a group that discusses issues related to members of the Bi+ community. The group also tries to build a sense of identity and community among the members. Once a month since its founding, Pandemonium has met for “Bi with Pie.” Bi with Pie is a monthly discussion group which tackles issues related to bi+ identities as well as other LGBTQ topics. This is an overview of some of the discussions the group has hosted over the last year as well as some suggested goals for 2018.

January Discussion: Bisexuality and homophobia

In January, we discussed some of the ways in which bisexuals can avoid homophobia and transphobia, but also the realities of biphobia and bi-erasure. For instance, bisexuals should not assert that everyone is actual bi or bi is the natural state of human sexuality, since this negates and erases the experiences of other sexual identities.

February Discussion: Bi Identities-

This discussion provided a brief overview of some of the different identities which fall within the bi+ community. Because we have some new members since this initial discussion, it might be useful to have this discussion again.

March Discussion: Trans in Prison/Letters to Prisoners

In March, Lucas lead a discussion about the oppression of trans individuals in the prison system. Problems faced by trans prisoners include misgendering, dead naming, placement with male prisoners if female or female prisoners if male, lack of access to hormones, lack of access or expensive access to hygiene or beauty products, etc. This discussion was followed by an opportunity to write letters to LGBTQ prisoners.

April Discussion: Bi Poetry

At the April meeting, Lucas shared some of his own poetry as well as the poetry of several famous bisexual poets. The poems were discussed for themes related to bisexuality.

May Discussion: Frida Kahlo and Bisexuality

In May, I did a presentation on Frida Kahlo’s bisexuality, as well as her political beliefs. I discussed the theme of bi-erasure in some media depictions of her.

July Discussion: Intersectionality and LGBT Organizing

There was no Bi with Pie meeting during the month of June. However, we met again in July and had a discussion on the topic of intersectionality. The discussion introduced the topic of intersectionality the way in which LGBT activists have both succeeded and failed to be intersectional.

August: Planning Meeting

In August, we met to plan Bi Visibility Day in September.

September: Poster Making Event:

We did not have a discussion topic in September. Instead, we gathered together to make posters for Bi Visibility Day.

Pride:

We had a very small and unprofessional table at Pride. While our table had a very “do-it-yourself” look, we promoted Bi with Pie, Bi Visibility Day, and sent letters to LGBT prisoners as a solidarity greeting from Pride. At least two dozen people signed the cards to these prisoners.

Bi Visibility Day:

Pandemonium sponsored a very modest Bi Visibility Day picket. The goal of the event was to draw attention to the existence of bisexuals or the bi+ community i.e. increase our visibility. This was the first time we have organized an event like this and it should definitely be on our agenda for 2018. Bi-visibility day is September 23 rd.

October: Domestic Violence and the LGBTQ Community

Jenny led a great discussion on how intimate partner violence/domestic violence impacts the LGBTQ community. She showed us an LGBTQ power and control wheel and discussed gaps in services and research. Since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month it was a timely talk.

December: Bisexuality and Vampires

Our final discussion of 2017 was on the topic of vampires and bisexuality. The discussion was lively and I only made it through half of the research that I had prepared. We discussed various representations of bisexuality in vampire media.

Moving Forward-2018 Goals:

Looking back at 2017, I think that Pandemonium hosted some really great discussions on a wide variety of topics. I also think it was great that we attended Pride and organized a Bi Visibility Day Event. We attracted some new members, such as G, C, and D, though the group remains fairly small. Our best attended discussions were the topics of Frida, vampires, and bisexual poetry. I am sure the group could be larger and more active, but I will admit that as an organizer, I put this group on the back burner. I do not invest as much of my energy into this group as I do other activist projects that I am involved in. I am comfortable with the amount of time I devote to it, as I think it is okay to have a small and low key group. To avoid burning out, I would like to scale the meetings back a bit, or perhaps mix up discussion based meetings with social activities as we enter the new year. Also, because I often go to Pizza Luce for other events, I would like to explore alternative meeting venues and meeting ideas. Here are some suggestions for 2018.

-Have less frequent meetings- perhaps bi-monthly. -Continue to have meetings with an educational discussion focus combined with some social events -Rethink Bi with Pie. Could we do Bi with Bites- and meet elsewhere for appetizers? Or Bi with Baklava and meet at Coney Island for Baklava. Maybe Bi and Beaners? I would like to move away from buying a pizza for the group for my own budgeting… -Try to promote Prism’s Events and better collaborate with Prism -Do a meet and greet with CSS Queer-Straight Alliance to promote our group. -Try to do something for Pansexual Awareness Day on December 8th! -Consider if we wish to do any LGBT prisoner work this year. If we do, we must re-visit if Lucas is welcome to participate in the group since he is the main contact and organizer with local criminal justice work. He has not participated in the group due to concerns about his criminal history -Consider other avenues of bi+ activism -Promote the BECAUSE conference in October -February- no regular meeting, but encourage members to attend feminism beyond the binary -March: Host a discussion on bisexuality and women’s history/feminism for March/Women’s History Month OR revisit last year’s presentation on various bi-sexual identities. -April: Host a discussion or panel on bisexuality and autism for our April meeting- Autism Awareness Day -May: Topic TBA -June: Perhaps a fun social event- like a bi bonfire on Wisconsin Point? -July: Host a birthday party or birthday celebration for Frida Kahlo. We can revisit the presentation I did last year on Frida’s sexuality or invite someone else to present. -August: Topic TBA -September: Organize Bisexual Awareness Day/ Consider a Pride Table (though I will be out of town)

-October: Host a panel or discussion on domestic violence and the LGBTQ community again. Perhaps work with Prism to co-sponsor this event. We could reach out to the Education Coordinator at Safe Haven to see if she would be willing to present this or facilitate the discussion. This is a great way to plug into Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

-November: Topic TBD

-December: Consider not having a meeting due to the busy holiday season.

A Conversation with a Pro-Lifer

H. Bradford

1/23/18

Today I attended Party in the Plaza, a celebration of choice. This event is also a counter protest of the Jericho March, an annual anti-choice march held on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It was a cold, windy January day outside of the Building for Women. It was also Monday at noon, which diminished our numbers. About an hour into the pro-choice protest, an anti-choice fellow who I will call Jim- approached me for a debate. I don’t often debate the other side. It is absolutely of no value, since we are so opposite in world views. But, Jim was kind of annoying. He had already harassed three people in the group. He basically told “S” that she was going to go to hell. Even as she danced and tried to ignore him, he shamed her for having fun and making light of the serious nature of abortion. He also engaged in conversation with two people who very clearly said they did not wish to debate and did not consent to debating. He actually ignored the word “consent”! I was quietly appalled that he talked over them, ignored their wishes, and coaxed them into talking- even when they made it very clear they had no interest or desire to engage. The blatant male entitlement was astonishing. Eventually, he moved over to me. I engaged, but I thought it might be a way to sharpen my debate skills and uncover some of my rhetorical weaknesses. Here is a summary of how it went:

Jim: I just want to ask you why you are here. When you see this innocent life, aren’t you bothered? (Jim is holding a sign of a mangled fetus that looks to be late term- perhaps eight or nine months). H. Innocence is a social construct. I am here because I support adult women. I am here because I care about the life that already exists in society. The poor, people of color, women, those who are bred to die in our imperialist wars, the mass incarcerated…

Jim: Good, I also care about those things. But what about the unborn? The little ones who no one speaks for?

H. You are here for them.

Jim: You know, a fetus has a heartbeat at six weeks. (Not sure if this is the number of weeks he stated).

H. Cows and frogs have heartbeats. Does a heartbeat offer special rights?

J. Those are animals.

H. Humans are animals.

J. Humans are mammals but they are not animals.

H. ?

J. Humans are different because they are made in God’s image.

H. I don’t believe in God. Do you have an argument which does not invoke God?

J. Even if you don’t believe in God, God believes in you. God puts morality in our hearts, which is how we know right and wrong. (Provides examples of morality which I am not sure are culturally universal, but I don’t argue.)

H. The ability to say abortion is wrong requires specific knowledge of how reproduction works. In Biblical times, people were pretty clueless of how reproduction works, which has continued until modern times. Until the 1800s, people still believed that women contributed nothing to the pregnancy and that all genetic material came from men. Fallopian tubes were not discovered until the 1600s. Ova not until the microscope. (S. chimes in that scientists believed in homuculus- or tiny humans in semen.) This is why the Catholic church believed in delayed ensoulment in the 1600s and really didn’t come out against abortion until the 1800s (when the science of reproduction was understood). <Side note, I don’t like to use religious arguments because you can’t out-Christian a Christian…but, whatever>.

J. No, God knew how reproduction worked and even if the specifics were not known to man, God knew that it was immoral. (Uses the story of Onan masturbating as an example).

H. I don’t think that is a good example of God knowing how reproduction works.

J. Have you heard of the Holocaust (I nod my head)? Abortion is like the holocaust since it specifically targets a group of people, marking them for death. I am sure that you have heard of the Nazis and what they did to the Jews.

H. Yes, the Holocaust was terrible, which is why we must fight fascism. We must be vigilant against far right movements and aware that they often align themselves with religious institutions. (He was trying to compare abortion to genocide and ageism, which I didn’t specifically address).

J. There have been six million innocent lives lost to abortion.

H. To tell you the truth, I don’t care if it is a billion. I believe that abortion is a fundamental right of women and essential for their full participation in society. I don’t believe that anyone should be forced to be pregnant. I personally never want to be pregnant and can’t imagine gestating a child just to appeal to someone’s morality based upon a several thousand year old religion.

J. You are passionate about the rights of women, but what about unborn women? H. A fetus is dependent upon women for life. The rights of women supersede any rights of the unborn.

J. What about the sanctity of life?

H. Many things are alive, but do not have rights. We do not offer rights to the grass. I mean, I would like it if people had gardens instead of lawns, but I am not going to legislate that people can’t mow (I was purposefully being a bit sacrilegious comparing fetuses to grass).

J. Let me ask you this. Have you ever held a baby? Do you have any nephews or nieces?

H. Yes, I have held a baby.

J. And how did you feel looking into that baby’s cute little face?

H. I felt that babies cry and poop a lot. Babies have a lot of needs. (While many pro-choice people love babies and have children, I am really unmoved by babies).

J. Didn’t you feel that they were so innocent and pure?

H. No, not really.

J. How about murder, are you against murder?

H. (I pause to think and garble something about self defense, but really don’t want to share my philosophy on the morality or immorality of violence in the context of capitalism).

J. If someone murdered your friends, you would be upset- right?

H. Yes, I would be upset.

J. What about abortion, which is murder?

H. I really believe that abortion is fundamental to the rights of women and our ability to be full and equal members of society. I believe that our equality and participation in society trumps the interests of fetuses. I don’t want to be a parent or forced to be pregnant.

J. You shouldn’t be a parent. S. chimed in that it wasn’t a nice thing to say.

H. No, I really shouldn’t. No one should have a child if they don’t want to have one.

J. I agree.

H. At the end of the day, there is nothing you will say that will change my mind. And, there is nothing I will say that will change yours. We have very different world views. There are other people on my side (pro-choice), some of them are religious. But, I am an atheist. I think it is better to focus on common issues. For instance, there have been pro-life people in the anti-war movement. There are pro-life people who work against the death penalty. I have worked perfectly well with them on these other issues. (I also wanted to add that I am a Marxist, but didn’t want to open that can of worms).

J. No one is actually an atheist, since this requires faith.

H. (This is actually true and leads to a complicated argument). Yes, that is actually correct. The existence of God can not be absolutely discounted. In the same way, we can never prove that there are no purple pandas on the sun. However, the likelihood of purple pandas on the sun is so low that for all practical purposes I am a purple panda atheist.

J. You are actually agnostic.

H. When I say that I am an atheist, it means that I don’t believe there is evidence that would lead me to believe in God as defined by human societies. (What is God? How would a God be operationalized? How would a God be measured? But anyway…thanks for telling me what I am…)

J. Where does life come from? Life is so complex that evolutionary science can’t explain…

H. Evolutionary scientists don’t try to answer where life began. Their main concern is how life changes over time. There may never be complete answers to how life began or the complexities of the universe, but that doesn’t mean that God exists. (As a trend, throughout history when something is unknown God is used to fill in the blank. What causes rainbows? God. What causes the sun to rise? God. What causes the rain? God. but with scientific knowledge, the pool of unknowns begins to shrink and God fills in the blank less. So now, we are left with fewer questions such as- where did life come from?)

J. No, you are wrong! Evolutionary scientists care where life began and had a conference wherein several top scientists concluded that God must exist. (There were some specifics about this conference, but I don’t remember these details. I felt that this was mansplaining, since evolutionary scientists don’t specifically study the origin of life. Some geologists, paleontologists, chemists, astronomers, etc. may work on this question, but it is not specifically a question of evolutionary biology). The truth is that God made all of us and you are part of his perfect creation.

H. I do know that there have been five extinction events and that over 95% of the life on earth that ever lived has gone extinct. (Correction, 99.9% of all life has gone extinct). I think humans are here for a short time and we should just do our best to live well and treat each other well, since one day we will be like the trilobites.

J. I don’t know what made you this way, but I was once a rebel too. I am going to pray for you tonight.

Conclusion:

I don’t think I was on my A-game with the argument. In the end, I was tired. Debating is tiring! I don’t like to debate, since I don’t want the other side to feel that I am the voice of the pro-choice movement. The pro-choice movement is diverse. Many of those involved are religious. Many are mothers who love babies and children. I feel that I don’t represent the movement well since I am a stubborn atheist with unconventional morality. I do feel somewhat insulted when religious people ask me what made me this way? I was never angry at God. I never rebelled against God. My faith simply changed. It passed briefly into a deep spirituality of scientific pantheism until it naturally became atheism. Spirituality was the training wheels to my atheism. Becoming a Marxist also aided that process. While I am not angry that God, I am angry with the pro-life movement. I am angry that they shame people who seek abortions. I am angry that they seek to control sexuality. I am mad that they seem to care more about “innocent” babies than grown women or that they pit “innocence” against the sin and guilt of women whom they fault for their poor choices. I am unapologetically pro-choice. In fact, I am pro-abortion because I feel that it is health care. I don’t place moral value on a dental visit or cancer treatment. Abortion is one facet of reproductive health. There is too much shame, silence, and stigma for me to back down from that position. This is a fight that I will continue in the years to come. I hope one day we advance as a society so that abortion is not looked at as a moral issue. I hope one day it is not a controversy, but a widely available service that long ago was accepted as vital to gender autonomy and equality.

Feminist Justice League Year in Review

H. Bradford

1/16/18

2017 was a big year for feminism. The election of Donald Trump mobilized feminists towards activism, which was expressed through events such as the Women’s March, International Women’s Day Strike, protests and social media campaigns regarding sexual harassment and assault, forming new groups, and more. It is an exciting time to be a feminist, to be sure. Locally, there has been a flourishing of feminist activities this past year. The Feminist Action Collective emerged in November 2016 as a large, active, vibrate group which has sponsored a variety of successful events over the past year. Locally, we have also seen the re-emergence of the HOTDISH Militia, which began in 2002 but had become inactive over the years. Our group, the Feminist Justice League, was established several years ago during a much less active time in feminist organizing. The renewed interest in feminism creates new challenges and opportunities for our group. The following is an overview of our activism in 2017 as well as our outlook for 2018.

January 2017 Women’s March, Duluth MN:

2017 started off big with several January events. The first was the January 2017 Women’s March. The Feminist Action Collective organized buses to Washington DC, but there was also a local march in Duluth. One of our members, A. attended the march in Washington DC and later reported her experience back to the group at an event we hosted as a local coffee shop. It was an inspiring experience for her, despite some mechanical mishaps experienced by the bus. Several members of the Feminist Justice League participated in the local march in Duluth, which was attended by several thousand people. This year, Feminist Action Collective is organizing an anniversary march. Feminist Justice League is supporting their efforts in a number of ways. Firstly, we have endorsed the event. Secondly, we are going to make some posters for the event on Friday. Thirdly, I have tried to promote their event by obtaining sponsors for them, such as Occupy Duluth, Socialist Action, and Safe Haven. A. and I will also serve as Peace Marshalls at the event.

an image from the Duluth News Tribune- Duluth Women’s March

Glow for Roe:

Feminist Justice League organized Glow for Roe last year, which happened to fall on the SAME day as the Women’s March and Dough for Utero. Although it was an extremely busy day, about two dozen people showed up to hold glow sticks for our glow in the dark protest in support of reproductive rights. We have done this event twice before and this was the most successful year for that particular protest. However, in 2018, we are not hosting a Glow for Roe event. This is because there is already a Women’s March, Dough for Utero, and Party on the Plaza. Glow for Roe was developed when there was far less feminist activism, so moving towards the future, it may not be as necessary as it was in the past. Still, a glow in the dark protest is a fun idea, so perhaps it will return in 2019!

Dough for Utero and Party in the Plaza:

January 2017 also saw Dough for Utero and Party in the Plaza, which were both organized by Hotdish Militia and the Women’s Health Center. Dough for Utero featured $19.73 pizza and beer, raising more money than any previous fundraiser. Party in the Plaza was a vibrant event in which several Feminist Justice League members attended. We contributed to the event by promoting it and providing picket signs. Certainly, 2017 saw more activism related to reproductive rights than there has been in Duluth for a long time!

Valentine Letters to Prisoners

In February, Feminist Justice League co-sponsored a Valentine Letters to Prisoners event with Superior Save the Kids. The goal of the event was to send solidarity cards to prisoners near Valentine’s Day. In Christian traditions, Valentine cards were first exchanged by St. Valentine while he was in a Roman prison, so the theme seemed suiting. The event was attended by several people and was a way for our group to be more intersectional as we tried to connect feminism with issues in the criminal justice system.

A photo of A.C.’s letters last year

Homeless Bill of Rights Letter Writing:

Feminist Justice League hosted a small letter writing event, wherein members gathered at a coffee shop and wrote letters to the editor to various news outlets regarding the passage of the Homeless Bill of Rights. Feminist Justice League is one of the endorsing organizations of the Homeless Bill of Rights. A year later, the homeless bill has not yet passed, protracting this already long struggle to pass a bill ensuring that homeless individuals are treated with dignity.

International Women’s Day Strike:

In March, Feminist Justice League organized a symbolic strike for International Women’s Day. The strike was a protest that lasted for 78 minutes to highlight the pay gap between men and women. At various intervals, we banged on pots to highlight the pay gap between Hispanic women, African American women, Native American women, Pacific Islander women, and women over the age of 55 and men. This event was followed by a panel, wherein several speakers discussed labor issues and gender. The event was successful in that it was covered by several news outlets and was even mentioned in a British Socialist newspaper!

HOTDISH Militia Bowl-a-Thon:

The biggest event that Feminist Justice League participated in April was HOTDISH Militia’s bowl-a-thon. We had a team of about seven people and though I don’t remember the exact number, I believe we raised over $600. Our team dressed as superheroes at the event and won a prize for best costumes. It was a fun event and HOTDISH Militia’s best fundraising event yet! They reached their fundraising goal and were able to obtain matched funds to help low income women access reproductive health care locally.

Graham Garfield Petition:

In May, members of the Feminist Justice League participated in several events related to the Graham Garfield domestic violence case. We were able to develop a successful petition which contributed to his resignation as a Superior City Councilor. However, interest in the case waned over time and although his trial is ongoing, there is little activism around it at this time. Still, I think that the group was able to effectively work towards his resignation and can be proud that we sought to educate the community about myths regarding domestic violence.

Mother’s Day Letters to Prisoners/Film Showing:

During the month of May, Feminist Justice League co-sponsored a film showing about incarcerated mothers with Superior Save the Kids. The group also co-sponsored a mother’s day themed Letters to Prisoners event. By helping to host and support these events, Feminist Justice League hopes to connect feminism with other issues.

Chalk for Choice:

During the summer and fall, Feminist Justice League sponsored Chalk for Choice events on the evening before clinic days at the Women’s Health Center. While these events are often only attended by a few people, our group receives a lot of positive feedback from workers at the WHC. During these events, we draw or write supportive images and messages for the patients and workers who utilize the Women’s Health Center. The events provides us with a creative niche for our activism. Looking at 2018, it should certainly continue these events as they are easy to organize, do not require large numbers of participants, and are a unique way to promote reproductive rights.

40 Days of Choice:

For the past several years, Feminist Justice League has organized events for 40 Days of Choice, which happens each year in September and October in response to the 40 Days of Life. The 40 Days of Life is an international campaign wherein pro-life activists gather outside of abortion clinics and reproductive health centers to pray and protest to end abortion. The Feminist Justice League was actually founded in response to this annual pro-life campaign. This year, as in year’s past, we participated in the event by hosting Friday pro-choice pickets. Some of the pickets were smaller than in year’s past owing to FJL’s dwindling numbers. On the other hand, some were larger owing to the participating of the HOTDISH milia this year. HOTDISH sponsored its own Thursday pickets. Our goal next year should be to increase the numbers at these events by bolstering our own membership, continued collaboration with Hotdish, and improved collaboration with Feminist Action Collective. This year, we also hosted a successful launching party for the 40 Days of Choice, but the success of the event would not have been possible without HOTDISH Milia’s collaboration and WHC’s support.

Feminist Frolics:

Once a month throughout the year, Feminist Justice League hosted events called Feminist Frolics. These events usually do not attract more than four or five people, but are high quality educational opportunities and community building events. This year’s highlights include a citizen science project wherein were learned about women in science and learned how to test the health of a river by examining small fauna such as snails, worms, and insect larvae. We also learned how to geocache and did this while collecting garbage. I researched women and waste management and did a short presentation on that topic for our event. We also learned more about fungi and one of our members, Ar., told us about her experiences gathering and selling mushrooms to local businesses. A few of us also attended a Halloween themed event wherein we hiked to an abandoned cemetery at night and learned about the history of witches and capitalism, based upon my readings on that topic. We have not done a frolic in a few months due to cold weather, but we can consider planning more at our next meeting. My suggestion is that we continued them, but on a more irregular basis in 2018. Personally, I put a great deal of effort into researching these topics and lack the time I once had. However, I think that these events remain viable if we can find others who are willing to research and present the topics. These events remain important because they are an opportunity for learning, connecting to nature, and bonding.

Spark in the Dark:

Following the swarm of sexual harassment and assault cases involving celebrities and politicians, FJL organized a small protest against assault and harassment. The goal was to believe victims, hold public figures accountable, and make ourselves visible. The evening event was attended by about a dozen activists, despite chilly weather. In the end, we lit sparklers to symbolize the spark of social movement organizing around these issues but also light in darkness.

Christmas Cards to Prisoners:

The same day as the Spark in the Dark event, we once again collaborated with Letters to Prisoners/Save the Kids to send Christmas Cards to Prisoners. The event was the best attended Letters to Prisoners event yet. It was hosted at Amazing Grace Cafe and activists at the event were interviewed by a newspaper.

Looking at 2018

Our Challenges and Assets:

As we move into 2018, our biggest challenge by far is that we have a small, active membership. Over the years, we have lost a few people who used to be more active in the group. One of our active members, A., has recently had a child so she will not be as active for a while. Two of our members, C. and An., have young children so they will not be able to participate as much as they would like. Children should not be a barrier to participation and this also shows our weakness in providing child care. Since we are small, it is hard to provide this service. At the same time, perhaps we can think of alternative roles for these members, such as posting online content to our Facebook page. Small membership limits what we can do as an organization but also has a demoralizing effect. I often wonder if I have personally failed as an activist when our numbers are low. Thus, we should brainstorm ways in which we can attract new members. Ideas towards this end might include collaborating with other organizations, tabling at events, putting up fliers more often, and advertising ourselves more on community calendars. I think it is also important to reframe what success looks like and better work with what we have. If interest in feminism is generally increased and other organizations have seen new members, then we should celebrate the overall victory of feminism, even if our organization is small. Further, even a small organization can maximize its impact in the community through collaboration with others.

Despite our low numbers, we do have some assets. I am proud of the many events that our group sponsored and organized last year. We also have some great members with some useful knowledge and skills. Both J. and I work in the field of domestic violence, which I think puts us in a good position to do activism related to this. I also work part time at the WHC, so I think this will help us continue our reproductive rights activism. We have a new member named C, who is smart, knowledgeable of science, and very active in criminal justice activism. A. is a male member and close friend who is an asset to the group because of his long history of local activism, especially his labor activism. We have several members who sometimes attend, but perhaps get spread thin by their own activist schedules. Overall, we often attract low-income and working class activists to our group. We also often attract members who have experienced homelessness, trauma, mental health issues, poverty, violence, etc. I think that we can be proud of ourselves if we continue to be an organization that creates space for those who experience multiple oppressions. While these things can be barriers to activism, it can inform the sorts of issues we work on and perspectives we promote. At the same time, our organization mostly attracts white people. There is no immediate solution to making our group more diverse, but, we should always be mindful of the pitfalls of “White feminism” and seriously consider how the group can tackle racism along with sexism. Sponsoring, promoting, attending, and collaborating with anti-racism activism is one step in that direction.

Finally, several of our key members and most of those who attend our events are anti-capitalist. This can help us create a niche in the feminist movement. Although we are a small group, we can act as a complimentary group to FAC. FAC is a larger group that appeals to a broader group of people. However, based upon their focus on candidate events, female identity, representation in politics and the business community, etc. the group leans towards liberal feminist ideology. Our niche in comparison is that we should try to attract anarchist and socialist feminists or provide space to promote those ideologies. While this ideological focus is less popular, promoting anti-capitalist feminism is a way to differentiate ourselves and what we do. This should not be rigid nor a requirement for participation/membership- but a useful framework for focusing the organization’s tactics and issues. The goal is not to compete with other feminist groups, but to broaden the overall feminist movement through theoretical diversity while collaborating on common causes.

Our Goals:

Based upon the following summary, I suggest the following goals for 2018.

In Defense of Protest

H. Bradford

1/15/18

Across the world next weekend, there will be marches to mark the anniversary of the Women’s March. Last year’s marches in defense of women’s rights brought over five million people together in events held in over 80 countries. Despite the historic size of the marches and the epic accomplishment of bringing so many people together, these event has been widely criticized. Worse, the very notion of protest has been critiqued as ineffective, outdated, or inferior to other methods of social change (namely, electoral politics). Disagreements about tactics or critiques of events themselves have the potential of helping movements to grow, become more inclusive, correct mistakes, sharpen messages and demands, etc. At the same time, there is something deeply pessimistic, and worse yet, submissive to capitalism, about the critique of protest itself. This is why I will take a moment to defend protest.

Why Protest?

To begin, it is useful to ask what is the point of protesting? From an organizer perspective, the general goal of protest is to bring a group of people together to highlight an issue or injustice and make a demand. This action is a public display of dissatisfaction with the status quo and a call for change. The power of protest is that it is visible, massive, public, uniting, and disruptive. Another positive aspect of protesting is that it can be done immediately, without having to wait for election cycles. For those who are alienated from the political system, it is way to voice an opinion or concern which may not be addressed by politicians or ruling parties. It is also an opportunity for those with power to react with promises, concessions, or changes to avoid being ousted from power. Ideally, protest is a method of challenging and reshaping power. It can be a pathway to revolution. For example, in March 1917, women gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia to march, mainly demanding bread (or an end to war time food rationing). They were joined by striking workers and within a few days, the protests swelled to 200,000- demanding not only food but an end to the Tsar itself. Tsar Alexander abdicated eight days later, ending three hundred years of Romanov rule. One of the early events of the French revolution was The Women’s March on Versailles, which began on October 5th, 1789 when women began rioting in Paris’ markets over the cost and scarcity of bread. This swelled to thousands of women, who marched to Versailles Palace to not only demand bread but political reforms. Certainly, very few protests in history have resulted in such dramatic overhauls of systems of power. But, there are many examples of protests that resulted in significant reforms. The March on Washington in 1963 pushed the United States government towards passing the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. While social movements employ a variety of tactics, protest in one form or another, played an important role in many social changes in history from winning women the right to vote to earning the right to an eight hour day.

Women’s March on Versailles

Protesting doesn’t work…

While historically, protests have won us many of the rights we often take for granted, there is a great deal of cynicism that this tactic works or remains relevant. It is easy to see why people may feel that protesting fails. In recent years, there have been many massive protests that have not resulted in much significant or obvious social change. In February 2003, millions of people around the world protested the Iraq War, but this did not avert the war and over the years, the anti-war movement his dissipated into invisibility. The Occupy Movement drew attention to such things as economic inequality, the commons, bank bailouts, and fictitious capital, but it was ended largely through the criminalization of the movement (i.e. law enforcement broke it up). Climate change threatens to bring on a mass extinction event and it seems protest has done little to slow it. Protest could not stop Scott Walker from hobbling public unions in WI.

February 15th Iraq War Protest

Redefining Success:

It is hard to know the impact of recent protests, since history continues. We live in a moment of time, only able to see the defeats behind us. Successful protests seem to be somewhere further in history or in some far off place in the world. When success feels distant, it is easy to become demoralized. Many people may not even be aware of past victories won through protest, because mainstream history tends to focus on great individuals rather than the accomplishments of mass movements. Viewing history in this manner makes it hard to imagine the possibility that ordinary people can come together en mass and create social change. This is why it is useful to both redefine what success looks like but also refocus history. Because I am a revolutionary socialist, my ideal vision of success is the end of capitalism. I would like to see a world where no one goes hungry, war is no more, climate change is stopped, everyone is housed and clothed, reproductive rights are a given, education is free, health care is a human right, and all people are treated with dignity and full humanity. This requires both a long view of history but also a long view of the future. In this viewpoint, protest in the interest of this future is never a failure.

Consider the Iraq War movement. The failure to end the U.S. war on terror is painful. But, was this movement a failure? My first steps to becoming an activist were in 2003. That was when I became a socialist. Before I was a feminist activist, I was an anti-war activist. It is through considering global issues like war, poverty, and colonization that I became a socialist to begin with. It is through becoming a socialist, that I became a feminist. On a personal level, the Iraq War movement was part of my political coming of age. I imagine there are others like me. And, there are those who participated in their first protest when they attended the Women’s March last year. That will be part of their political coming of age. These protests did not bring down patriarchy or thwart U.S. imperialism, but they are part of the process of creating people who will make change. Even when protest fails in a traditional sense, it can be powerful in personal ways.

At the same time, while some protests have not yielded the necessary and immediate results that one would hope for, they have not been for nothing. There are plenty of times that I have participated in protests of less than a dozen people. This certainly feels like a failure. However, it puts a message out into public space. It may spark a conversation. At the minimum, it shows the world that this is an issue that a few people think matters. On the other hand, there are much larger protest movements that may be seen as failure since they became smaller or disappeared. The Occupy movement resulted in the popularization of a tactic: to occupy! It also generated interest in anti-capitalist politics and perhaps in spotlighting social inequality, inspired other movements, such as the movement for $15 an hour minimum wage. The Women’s March last January was followed by a burgeoning of feminist activism over the past year including #MeToo and the International Women’s Day Strike. The story is not over because history is not over.

Alternatives to Protest:

There are of course, alternatives to protest. To clarify, when I speak of protests I refer to activities such as marches, pickets, sit-ins, and demonstrations. These are public events with participation ranging from a handful to millions. Alternatives to protest include such things as voting, boycotts, divestment, petitions, lawsuits, strike, riot, terrorism, and warfare. A strike would be a wonderful tactic since it wields a lot of social power. However, it is not an easy tactic to pull off because many people fear losing their jobs, union membership is not widespread, and most people do not have experience with even more basic labor activism. This is an aspirational tactic which protest could and should be built towards. Terrorism and warfare are not on the table for most activists because they are violent, can result in criminal charges or death, are usually not mass movements, and alienate potential supporters. Boycotts, petitions, and divestment can be useful tools in an activist tool box. The only shortcoming is that they are often private, so those who are not involved in the movement may not know about them and those who are involved may not feel connected to a larger movement in the same way a protest brings people together. Legal actions can also be a useful front, but again, this is not as public, massive, and visible. Even voting or electoral politics can compliment protests. But, none of these things should replace or usurp protests (well, strikes could but usually massive strikes also include protests). It seems to me, when there is critique of protest, the alternative tactic suggested is voting.

This is an example of protest combined with divestment. In this case, activists were asking for divestment from apartheid South Africa. Apartheid in South Africa was ended through a variety of tactics, including riots, labor organizing, divestment, protest, international sanctions, boycotts, armed struggle, etc.

Political Process and Protest

I am extremely alienated from the U.S. political system. Because both major parties fully support the continuation of U.S. capitalism and the resulting imperialist foreign policy of violence, poverty, and oppression, I can’t get behind Democrats or Republicans. Therefore, I tend to avoid activist events that involve meeting politicians, phone banking for politicians, or really, anything that diverts energy towards getting candidates elected. I am open to these tactics for candidates from anti-capitalist parties, but the goal shifts in these situations. Since individuals who are not a part of mainstream political parties are not likely to win an election, the goal of campaigns tends to be more educational. These campaigns might be used to point out the political shortcomings or hypocrisies of other candidates, educate people about socialism, or popularize anti-capitalist ideas. This approach may be hard for others to understand, but at my core, I don’t really care about the existence or well-being of the United States as a nation. I care about the working people or oppressed people of the world. Thus, I find it hard to participate in the electoral process of the United States, as once again, both parties generally want to continue the U.S. dominance of the world and capitalism. Still, I do not absolutely rule out participation in the political process as an activist tool. I simply do not emphasize it as a prominent tool.

Bringing the topic back to protest, if social movements are effective in mass mobilizations, they can shift the political system without necessarily voting. For instance, if a protest movement becomes widespread and it seems clear that public sentiment has shifted, politicians will shift. After all, they want to be re-elected or at least see that their party is re-elected. Social movements make it “safe” for mainstream politicians to support same sex marriage, utter the word climate change, or proclaim that they are for the 99%. Thus, the horse is always social movements and the cart is the politicians being dragged along to speak to public sentiment. Mainstream electoral politics doesn’t favor the brave. Ideally, it would be wonderful to build space for alternative parties and reforms to our political system that create more opportunities for political representation from a variety of viewpoints. This won’t happen with the acceptance of lesser evilism, a concession to perpetual disappointment, disempowerment, and disillusionment.

Why so Cynical?

I think there are many reasons why protests are critiqued. I have only touched on a few. At the heart of some of the critique is the notion that they have not been working. It is certainly sad and frustrating to see so much misery and destruction go on, seemingly unchecked. And, while I can be optimistic about small victories or alternative successes, this means little to those who struggle without a living wage, are brutalized by the police, watch natural resources wrenched from the earth while the planet warms, cannot afford housing, die of preventable disease, live in warzones, or all of the other sufferings in the world. Change is needed immediately and systemically. Protests themselves sometimes fail to be inclusive or fail to connect to other struggles. Beyond this, there is the problem that most people are not engaged in political struggle. The “masses” are often dismissed as fat, stupid, and reactionary. It is hard to see our future liberation in the faces of the oppressed in our midst. Once again, one might find inspiration in the long view of history. In 1524, illiterate peasants gathered in the Black Forest and managed to create demands, create a banner, and elect leaders, launching the Peasants’ Wars in Germany (which were brutally suppressed, but it is always impressive when a group with little political experience or social leverage manages to organize and fight). Our president recently designated Africa and Haiti as “shithole” places. The Haitian revolution was the most successful slave revolt in history- which horrified Europeans with the reality that Black people could defeat white power and govern themselves. The “shithole” countries of Africa managed to eventually defeat European colonial rule, even if they have not yet defeated capitalism, post-colonial economic relations, and legacies of exploitation. I bring these examples up because when the masses are dismissed as too stupid, too lazy, too addicted, etc. it not only underestimates them, but concedes that some people are inferior. This notion of inferiority is thinly veiled classism, racism, sexism, ableism, or other isms. It is unfortunate that this dismissal of ordinary Americans and the elitism inherent in this sentiment only serves to make Trump more appealing.

If this is your image of why Americans can’t liberate themselves, consider the classism, fat phobia, ageism, ableism, or other isms which cause you to write off sectors of society as incapable of social change. People can be mobilized towards many things- from Black Friday shopping to White supremacy. But, if a person can be mobilized towards these things, then can also be mobilized towards progressive social change with organizing that speaks to the conditions of their oppression and honors their humanity.

There are alternative methods of social change, which certainly can be used with mass demonstrations. All of these methods may inevitably fail. Protest as a tactic remains viable inasmuch as it is a visible, social, collective, public expression of the desire for social change. It also remains viable in the context that working towards systemic change will require mass mobilization. Tactics should ultimately seek to inspire others towards a cause and serve as a stepping stone to larger more system challenging actions. Ultimately, what choice is there? While there may be some tactical choices, there is little room to choose defeat or complacency. This is not Pascal’s Wager, where faith is a tepid attempt to avoid the possibility of hell. Hell is here in the creeping barbarism of everyday life in Late Capitalism. The choice now is between accepting its inevitability or working to end it. Accepting it is a betrayal of all who suffer and of present life on the planet. Therefore, we must fight relentless and together by all means available, but especially those which offer the most promise of dismantling systems of oppression once and for all.